Conceal Carry laws have also brought much debate about and the recently signed constitutional carry bill by Governor DeWine that bypasses the CCW laws will soon go into effect. Local court officials encourage people to understand the new law before they carry.
Senate Bill 215 does not mean that anyone can carry a gun. You must still be 21 years of age to get a handgun and be a “qualifying adult”. Most of the qualifications are the same as getting a CCW, except you don’t have to take the 8-hour course or carry a CCW license. You also can't have a criminal record. Also, the responsibility of informing law enforcement that you are carrying a firearm has changed.
Allen County Prosecutor Juergen Waldick explains, “The bill also makes a change in the announcement portion of the code. In other words, if you get pulled over by law enforcement or there is law enforcement contact in the past, you had to actively tell the officer that in fact, you have a firearm on you. Now that requirement is gone. However, if asked, you do have to tell them you have a firearm on you.”
Waldick also says there are other things that can make you NOT a qualifying adult that can lead to criminal charges.
He goes on to say, “If you are drinking, consuming alcohol, under the influence of alcohol you are no longer a qualifying adult. And you are not allowed to carry. What I envision is someone getting pulled over for an OVI for example and you have a loaded weapon either on you or in the car, you're still subject to criminal prosecution at that point.”
The bill goes into effect on June 12th.
